Panama! Latin, Calypso, and Funk on the Isthmus 1965-75

Panama! Latin, Calypso, and Funk on the Isthmus 1965-75
Label: Soundway
Length: LP
Rated: NONE
Media: CD
Format: Album
WorkNameSort: Panama! Latin, Calypso, and Funk on the Isthmus 1965-75
Much in the same way that hip-hop is this generation’s global soundtrack, in the late ’60s and early ’70s, funk music was omnipresent ‘ typically in a locally altered state ‘ no matter where you were on the planet. Given the worldwide commerce that made its way through Panama, plus the amazing variety of musical and cultural influences ‘ African, Latin, Indian, French and American ‘ already at play in the Caribbean, it’s not surprising that this 15-track collection of prime rhythms from the era is wildly diverse. Deep soul, calypso, descarga and salsa show up here, and though most of the cuts are more Latin in feel, there’s a rough, funky edge that runs through all the tracks; likewise, even the more straight-up funk cuts (‘El Mensajeâ?� by Los Fabulosos Festivals is particularly gritty) manage to work in tropical flavor. One (of many) nations under a groove.

This article appears in Jun 7-13, 2006.